5 /5 Jane: Dr. Baler and his office practice the kind of dermatology and medicine that is hard to find these days. Hes a solo practitioner and doesnt use a PA--you will see a physician when you come to his office (Dr. Baler himself). He has even recorded his offices voicemail greeting.
His office is efficient; you can tell hes an excellent employer because he keeps the same staff, year after year. You never wait more than five minutes. They dont make billing mistakes.
The staff has always treated me with courtesy and have taken the time to listen to me when I call with a problem. If I have needed something--a refill, or to see the doctor for an urgent problem such as widespread poison ivy (Im highly allergic), I have always been accommodated.
That said, I am an existing patient of many years. Of course it is a long wait to become a new patient---he has a full roster of existing, satisfied patients. My husband had to wait some months to see him as a new patient, but he had no emergency or discomfort, and Im sure they would have tried to work him in or refer him elsewhere if he had.
Dr. Baler is also an excellent, highly experienced and knowledgeable dermatologist. He has always accurately diagnosed and treated the various skin problems Ive had over the years, and some of them have been urgent--in one case, potentially postponing major surgery (and he saw me ASAP in that instance, treated me, and I was able to have the surgery as planned).
In another case, two weeks before my wedding, I developed a mysterious rash all over my body. Again he saw me immediately, knew exactly what I had and how to treat me, and Im happy to say that I had clear skin at my wedding.
Or the time I had a rash on my arms and upper chest--he took one look at me and said "this is poison ivy. Do you have a big dog?" Indeed we did, and hed been wandering in a section of our wooded yard with poison ivy. The pattern of the rash showed Id been hugging him. Mystery solved, prescription dispensed.
In another case, I had a stubborn plantars wart, and he told me immediately that they can be difficult to cure, but if his treatment didnt work, another local dermatologist had an experimental treatment that he would refer me for. He was delighted when that doctor was finally able to help me.
I trust him.
Finally, he does no cosmetic procedures--as so many dermatologists do, using various subordinate staff to perform them, factory-style, to make a lot of money: e.g. laser hair removal, skin peels, etc. In those cases you may never see a doctor!
This is not Dr. Balers ethic. He is a physician interested in practicing medicine in his field. If you are interested in cosmetic dermatology, however, he will refer you to the person he most trusts.
I will be very sad when and if Dr. Baler ever retires!
